The family of the literacy icon, Biyi Bandele has finally disclosed the cause of his death.

He took his own life following several bouts of depression -mental health conditions, in August 2022.

He never spoke about it nor did he seek help on time.

What a sad way to end it all in spite of the great accomplishments through his body of work.

Biyi Bandele, no doubt, had been an inspiration to me for a long time. I still stash some of his literary works on my hard drives and was hoping that some day we might collaborate on something big.

His sudden demise in 2022 dealt a major blow to some of my literacy aspirations. However, while I had thought it was an act of God at first, knowing the cause of his death two years later reopens the healed wound again.

Listen guys, speak out! Don’t think you can personally deal with that bout of depression alone! Seek help!

Mental health condition is real and its devastating impacts can be irreversible if we don’t deal with it decisively on time.

A lot of accomplished individuals out there that we call celebrities- whom we celebrate every now and then for their years of contributions to the Arts, struggle with a lot of inner demons.

A whole lot of times, these people struggle to connect with themselves behind closed doors despite all facade and grin they wear at social events and on their social media pages.

Ironically, while underachieved individuals may often tie their own depression and mental health conditions to their unfulfilled aspirations the same cannot be said of the famous people.

They struggle to fill a vacuum. Most times, a vacuum that was created due to vagaries of life.

The inner struggle they suffer in order to fully connect, sustain and manage the reality of their achievements and fame is indescribable.

Rest on #BiyiBandele your good works live on.

May God continue to grant his family the fortitude to bear this loss.